Court receives petition to withdraw Erdoğan insult cases, HDP left out

The petition sent to the Ankara 9th Civil Court of First Instance said Erdoğan “renounced” the cases with the “hope and will to make people meet at a minimum common ground, to consolidate unity and solidarity and to maintain a minimum decency in political life.”

“We started the actions today with a decision to withdraw cases opened against political parties. Normally the withdrawal petitions are prepared with two lines, but we have prepared a two-page petition,” said Erdoğan’s lawyer Hüseyin Aydın, adding that there were over 3,000 criminal and insult cases against Erdoğan and that they accelerated the actions to withdraw all cases this week.    

“Following the political leaders, we will withdraw all crime and some insult cases. Now there are around five arrested suspects... Those arrested will be freed with the withdrawal of their cases, I believe,” said Aydın.

Meanwhile, main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu also announced Aug. 1 that he was withdrawing cases and complaint petitions he opened against Erdoğan.   

Erdoğan’s lawyer also said insult cases opened in Germany by the president were expected to be withdrawn. 
A probe was launched on April 6 in Germany against Jan Böhmermann, a presenter on the ZDF TV station, who allegedly insulted Erdoğan in a satirical poem on a program.